At Japanese restaurants, I’m usually all about the sushi. But when I went to Chiso during Seattle Restaurant Week (or partial weeks, as they actually are) to capitalize on a three-course lunch for $15, I was more impressed with the bento box than the sushi sampler. (The bento box wasn’t all; it came with choice of appetizer and dessert.) So much deliciousness at such a good price. It’s like eating an old-fashioned Swanson’s TV dinner, only about a million times better–full of variety, and full of flavor.

So what does Chiso’s bento box teach us about sex?

It’s all about organizing your goodies.

Bento boxes were designed for ease of service and “cleanliness” of eating. The boxes traditionally come with lids so they can be piled on top of each other for easy transport. Inside each box are dividers to separate the food, which is a good thing, if you think back to your childhood days when the peas couldn’t touch the potatoes.

Restaurant bento boxes also have dividers, though the boxes, as at Chiso, look more like trays. Chiso’s bento meal offered lots of variety, with the dividers keeping my salmon teriyaki in its place, the salad in its place, and so on with the shrimp and vegetable tempura, the edamame, the ginger and wasabi, and the sashimi pieces. (A nice surprise, as SRW advertises a spicy tuna roll and California roll, which my neighboring diner got in his bento box. The sushi chef must have sensed my Japanese-ness and general disdain for rolls, substituting the sashimi.) And that was just in the box, or on the tray, if you will. There were then separate bowls of rice, miso soup, tentsuyu for the tempura, and soy sauce for the sashimi.

If only all of our sex toys were so nicely organized. Most people have a drawer in a nightstand that becomes a catch-all for their “novelty items.” Then, in the heat of passion and typically in darkness, we find ourselves frantically rummaging around for what we so desperately desire. You think you’re grabbing that Big O vibrating cock ring, but instead you get the velvet blindfold, the two-strap dildo harness, the Little Flirt butt plug, some feathers, the We-Vibe II, a stray nipple clamp, an old Today contraceptive sponge, and that scary-looking but oh-so-delightful Pinwheel BDSM Toy. Meanwhile, you’re trying not to knock over the bottle of Astroglide, the Please Stroke Cream, the ylang ylang massage oil that doesn’t get used nearly enough, and the chocolate body paint.

Maybe we need a new kind of “bento box” to organize our toys? (Search hard, and you’ll find some interesting ones.) Whether you pre-pour your liquids into separate bowls is your own decision.

A serious note: This week’s Sexy Feast is fun as always, but as we enjoy our Japanese food, let’s remember the disaster in Japan. Over one month has passed since the earthquake and the tsunami, and while radiation concerns remain in the news, it’s easy to forget that huge numbers of Japanese people continue to live in difficult conditions and face shortages of food, water, medicine, and other supplies. Seattleites have provided enormous help, and relief efforts will continue, as the hard-hit areas of Japan will take years to rebuild. Watch for more charity efforts, including the big Sushi Chef Dream Team event on May 5 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Seattle’s top sushi chefs and other prominent local chefs will prepare food, and there will be live entertainment and an auction to raise funds. You can also continue to give money to the Red Cross in whatever amount you can afford.

About Jay

Jay Friedman is a freelance food writer and gastronaut—global explorer of things gourmet and, well, not-so-gourmet. Born and raised in New York (and missing those back-east bagels), Jay says he came to Seattle in 1999 because "there's great produce here." He’s dabbled in classes at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, taken cooking classes around the world, cooked as a Vermont inn-sitter, worked as a waiter, and evolved into an omnivoracious eater.